Stavanger is located on the coast in southwestern Norway, and it is one of the country’s largest cities. Stavanger’s history goes back to the Viking Age, where the city developed through the 12th and 13th centuries to be a place for holding markets and an ecclesiastical center as well. Stavanger obtained market town rights in 1125 and on this site the city’s cathedral was also completed as the main church of the new bishop’s seat. Growth continued in the following centuries until the Reformation, when Stavanger’s ecclesiastical importance declined. In the following centuries, the episcopal seat was even moved to newly established Kristiansand.

Stavanger flourished again in the 19th century due to a rich herring fishery alongside the traditional seafaring industry that always was important for the city. The population also increased significantly, which has continued to this day, when Stavanger has flourished significantly since the latter half of the 20th century due to the extraction of oil in the North Sea.

Today, Stavanger is a lovely city with several attractions and beautiful nature. You can start the visit at the square named Domkirkeplassen. Here you can see Stavanger Cathedral, which was built in the first half of the 12th century, and the church is thus the oldest preserved cathedral in Norway. The city became the episcopal seat around the year 1125, and except for a few years in connection with the Reformation, the church had that status until 1682. Since 1925, Stavanger Cathedral has again been the episcopal seat, and it is today dedicated to Saint Svithun.

The cathedral has a Romanesque nave, and a Gothic choir. Inside, you can e.g. see the pulpit from 1658 and a baptismal font from around 1300. The church also houses Anders Lauritzen Smith’s Bible from 1589. Next to the cathedral is the house, which was built as a bishop’s residence in the Middle Ages, and from here you can take a walk in the Byparken, where you can walk around the lake Breiavatnet, and along the way there are several sculptures you can enjoy.

From the area by the cathedral, you can walk north to Stavanger’s harbor, which has been the focal point for the city’s development for centuries. At this location is Torvet, which throughout the city’s history has been Stavanger’s marketplace. At Torvet you can see a statue of the writer Alexander Kielland, and in the lower part facing the harbor stands the Maritime Monument, a work by Arnold Haukeland. From here, the inner harbor connects into Vågen, which is surrounded by the street Strandkaien to the west and Skagenkaien to the east.

Close to the Maritime Monument is the Stavanger Maritime Museum, whose exhibition focuses on the maritime history of the Southwest of Norway. You can simply enjoy the atmosphere around Vågen as well with the area’s many wooden houses, cafes and restaurants. You can see the Valberg Tower, which is located above Skagenkaien. The tower was built 1850-1853 as a watchtower, from which you could keep an eye on not least fires in the city. There is an exhibition in the tower, and a good view of the area from the tower.

West of Vågen, you can walk through the streets Øvre Strandgate and its side streets, which form the Gamle Stavanger quarter. The neighborhood is characterized by the beautiful wooden houses that were built here mainly in the 1700s and 1800s. Most of the houses are painted white and give the impression of historic Stavanger, which in the middle of the 20th century was demolished elsewhere in the city. You can also find cozy streets east of Vågen in the center of Stavanger. Here you can walk along narrow streets such as Østervåg and Søregate, and you can take a walk along Kirkegata, which is slightly more recently built.

From here, it is not far to Nytorget and Sankt Petri Church, which was built 1864-1866 with a see-worthy interior. At the harbor in this quarter, you can visit the interesting Norwegian Oil Museum, which describes the history of the Norwegian oil exploration in the North Sea. The building was constructed with inspiration from drilling platforms, and the site shows an important part of modern Stavanger’s history. If you want to know more about other parts of the city’s cultural and natural history, you can visit the Stavanger Museum, which was opened in the current museum building in 1893.